Show description:
Traces Past celebrates the beauty of transformation through works of handmade pulp paintings and castings. The artists transform plant fiber to create mementos of cultural and psychological experiences and pursue their search for beauty.

Artwork exhibited stems from a papermaking residency at Penland School of Craft (Penland, NC) during Jan 2019, and earlier work from Carriage House Paper studio (Brooklyn, NY) in 2018.

I participated in this event as exhibiting artist of a juried 2-person group show, along with Spanish printmaker Roser Sales Noguera.

Statement:
Two Sisters is a piece about two sides of the same reality concerning women and sexual violence/harassment: one showing rage, exposure, and extreme sexualization of her entire body; the other appearing demure, closed off, protective, silent, and some would argue, complacent. Snakes are featured as a symbol of female sexuality and doom.

Artwork exhibited was produced during a 2018 residency at ArtPrint (Spain).

Show description:
Using layering, patterning, and ornamentation, Ana Fernandez's process includes printmaking, painting, drawing, fibers, and digital collage. From Pulp to Flesh explores interactions between the female body, advertising, and fashion via a series of pulp-paintings and handmade paper pieces. 

Artwork exhibited stems from a 3-week papermaking residency at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (Hyattsville, MD) in Aug 2016 (Denbo Fellowship), and further work at Carriage House Paper studio (Brooklyn, NY) in 2017.

I participated in this exhibition as co-organizer, co-curator & exhibiting artist.

Curator's statement:
Anselm Kiefer: “Ruins, for me, are the beginning. With the debris, you can construct new ideas. They are symbols of a beginning.”
This portfolio is about the inherent possibilities that come after the breakdown of a system, entity, or organism. The debris and ruins resulting can be fertile ground for new iterations of the original, or a complete metamorphosis.  The cyclical process of collapse and rebirth mirrors the structure of the Terminus, expanding and contracting in a constant state of transformation. 

Artists:
Michael Barnes, Mark Bovey, Sean Caulfield, Katy Collier, Nicholas Dowgwillo, Ana Fernandez, Oscar Gillespie, Agata Gertchen, Orit Hofshi, Tim Musso, Goedele Peeters, Endi Poskovic, Brett Schieszer, Tanja Softic, Evan Summer, Ruth Weisberg.

Juror's Statement:
William Kentridge describes printmaking as a process that leaves a trace behind. I expand this to suggest we printmakers develop imagery and concept on a plate, then transfer the memory of that original engagement to the paper, not unlike the way our brains record life memories and moments. We create, capture fleeting moments, preserve them as imprints, (traces), while the original moment romantically passes from existence, not unlike our everyday exchanges. As artists, we pursue this desire to make an imprint, to sustain this language of memory and engagement that refuses to die, and in fact, becomes ever more relevant with each movement in the present. Printmaking is political, social, collaborative, communal and increasingly relevant. Therefore, presenting an exhibition that offers insight into what printmakers around the world are engaged in, the kinds of forms they’re creating, is an opportunity to tune in to an international voice—vital to the critical discourse of global art. 

Show description:
Ana Fernandez teaches art courses at the University of Michigan's Residential College in drawing and printmaking. Her artwork includes elements of drawing, printmaking, fibers and collage. It reflects a tactile sensibility and an affinity for layering, patterning and ornamentation. Thematically, it focuses on the interaction between fashion, representations of the female body, and notions of femininity.